Pete's Dragon - A tale of a beautiful friendship! (Spoiler alert!)

Over the past weekend, I was blessed to get an opportunity to see Pete's Dragon before it's nationwide release on Friday, August 12th.

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Studios

This is a beautiful movie about an unlikely friendship between a boy (Pete) and a dragon (Elliot). Make sure to bring your tissue because I'm pretty sure my husband even cried during this tale.

Young (toddler) Pete reminded me of my son so the grim events that bring him to be alone in the forest made me cry! But the movie handled it with class and it is not too traumatic. He is soon found by Elliot and they have an immediate bond. The only other person who has seen Elliot is Robert Redford's character of Mr. Meacham who likes to embellish their interaction. Mr. Meacham's daughter, Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard), even though she loves the forest, does not believe in dragons or that her dad saw one. But that will change once the movie progresses. 

Pete (Oakes Fegley) is discovered while construction is being done on the forest by Grace's boyfriend's daughter (Oona Lawerence). He is scared of being away from Elliot and the forest and even runs away from the hospital to try to get back to him. Meanwhile, Gavin (Karl Urban), finds Elliot and captures him. Through the help of Mr Meacham and after a thrilling chase, Elliot escapes to the forest. I won't give away the ending but I will say that everyone finds their home. 

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Studios

I know that my almost 3 year old, still can't handle very serious movie scenes and may be upset about Pete crying or Elliot being hurt so I would recommend this movie for children over 5. Elliot is not scary and he still looks cuddly much like his traditionally animated counterpart. But be advised, this is not a remake! Obviously, there are some similarities but overall, it is a different movie. The special effects are phenomenal and Elliot looks very lifelike. When we got home from the movie, my husband said to me, "I can't wait to get that on Blu Ray!" and once Oliver is old enough, we will show him the beauty of the movie as well. 

Pete's Dragon is in theaters now. If you haven't see the trailer yet, check it out below!

RunDisney Goals

Almost 6 years ago, I ran my first half marathon, the Disneyland Half Marathon. From then on, I was hooked!  Since then I have completed 4 Half Marathons, 1 10 miler and a half of a half (as you can read about in my previous posts). I've been thinking about my future RunDisney goals and I thought it I would share it here so you all could keep me accountable.

Goal #1 - Run a race without being worried about being swept. If you don't know RunDisney races, there is a 16 minute mile requirement on their races. That clock starts when the very last person crosses the start line. I have been swept from one race and I will never get swept again. However, I do always feel like I'm right at that cusp of barely getting to a 16 minute mile. Improving speed is the way to do that.

Goal #2 - Run a 5k with my son. Now, he's only 2 so I have a long ways to go but he's been enjoying the kids races! They are perfect to burn off some extra energy. 

Goal #3 - Run the Disneyland Paris Half Marathon. Because Paris. No other explanation necessary haha.

Goal #4 - This is the most important goal! I would love to do the Walt Disney World Marathon in 2019! I am going to make this happen! Then I will complete the Star Wars Half Marathon again and get a second Coast to Coast medal which means I've ran a half marathon on both coasts. Well my Florida run got cut short (which you can read about in previous posts.

How am I going to make these goals? My immediate plan is to run a couple times a week and once on the weekend if I can! I am working on dropping some weight as well which will help with goal #1. I am signed up for the Star Wars 10k at Disneyland for this upcoming January and I'm hoping to be faster than I was!

Join me on this journey and eventually, I am going to hit my goals!